NJ nonprofit delivers more than 200 bikes to Africa

NEW JERSEY - A small nonprofit with New Jersey roots delivers more than just transportation.

Bikes are a way of life in New York City, but 7,000 miles away in the rural villages of southeastern Africa, a bicycle can be the difference between life and death, or education and dropout.

A mission born in Jersey, delivered in Malawi

What we know:

A New Jersey nonprofit called BikeTown Africa – a loose but dedicated network of volunteers with no office, no staff and no overhead – carries out the mission. 

The entire operation runs out of a garage in Spring Lake, New Jersey, led by founder David Brienza, a former executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a global biopharmaceutical company. This month, Brienza and his team traveled to Malawi, visiting the city of Blantyre and the rural village of Conda in the Zomba District.

200+ bikes, two life-changing destinations

Brienza's team had the goal of delivering bicycles to two critical locations: 157 bikes to a local secondary school, where students walk up to eight miles each way, and 52 bikes to a brand-new health clinic serving more than 25,000 people across surrounding villages.

"What they’re going to do is take the bikes and go to their patients," Brienza said during the mission. "They have authority to give medicine, clean beds and provide care — so the bike lets them visit more people, and stay longer with each one."

The value of a $200 Bicycle

Each bicycle costs about $200 in a country where the average income is just $500 a year.

To the families in these communities, a bike becomes a lifeline — not just for getting to school or work, but also for everyday needs.

"It’s just a huge benefit to the family," Brienza said. "They use them every day, in ways we never even imagined."

Jersey bikes fill aid gaps

As larger international aid programs are scaled back by the U.S. and other governments, smaller grassroots efforts like BikeTown Africa are stepping in to fill critical gaps. 

"They’re seeing less help other places," Brienza said. "So this is just something they can use to assist them in any way possible — to get to market, back from market, to the hospital, to school. Any mode of transportation is a benefit to these people who otherwise wouldn’t have it."

How did Biketown Africa come to be?

The backstory:

The idea for BikeTown Africa began nearly two decades ago, while Brienza was working on HIV/AIDS initiatives for Bristol-Myers Squibb.

BMS has funded 13 pediatric AIDS hospitals across Africa, but patients had no way to reach them. Brienza partnered with longtime friend Steve Madden of Chatham, NJ, and teamed up with the Kona Bicycle Company to start delivering rugged, custom-made bikes directly to healthcare workers.

From soccer teammates to life teammates

Jack Weber, a legendary soccer coach from Montclair and Verona High Schools, was also on the trip. 

Weber and Brienza grew up playing soccer together at Columbia High School in Maplewood — and now they’re teammates again, this time delivering bikes and soccer balls to kids across rural Malawi.

"Jack’s part Pied Piper, part Johnny Appleseed," Brienza joked. "He jumps out of the van and gives out size 3, 4, and 5 balls to every school we pass."

100% of donations go to bikes

What you can do:

If you want to help or learn more, the team can be reached directly at: BikeTown.Africa@gmail.com.